


Order of Execution

by EndlessGloaming



Category: Stormlight Archive - Brandon Sanderson
Genre: Angst, Baby brother cuddles, Book 02: Words of Radiance, Canon Rewrite, Depression, Fluff, Gen, Not Canon Compliant, Self-Doubt
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-23
Updated: 2020-05-21
Packaged: 2021-02-27 03:35:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 7,385
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22380406
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EndlessGloaming/pseuds/EndlessGloaming
Summary: What if Elhokar had decided to order Kaladin executed after the Duel of Six Shardbearers?Kaladin escapes with his life, but then he faces hard choices about what to do next.Dalinar discovers he has a real Radiant just as he's losing him and has to figure out how to get him back.Don't worry, I'm not killing Kaladin.  There's angst, but he also gets happiness and appreciation.
Comments: 80
Kudos: 93





	1. Race Condition

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CW: some description of a panic attack.

"What if I did order him executed?"

Kaladin looked up with horror.

"You would make an enemy out of me," Dalinar said, low and menacing.

Elhokar stepped closer. "I've had enough of you pushing me around, Uncle! No more pressuring me. I say he gets executed. Right now, before any of those other former slaves can make trouble. Guards, take him to the square in front of the palace."

Panic hit Kaladin like a slap. The guards grabbed him roughly, six of them. He cast about desperately trying to feel for Stormlight. Dalinar must have had spheres with him, but he was just a little too far away. The Highprince was still arguing, voice hard and getting louder, but Elhokar was adamant. Their words seemed distant as blood pounded in Kaladin's ears. What could he do, chained up? This was just how his men were when Amaram...

No.He couldn't let it come to that. He had to find a way out of this.

They got most of the way down the hall to the outer door, nearly outside. Near the end, there was a lamp full of glowing spheres. 

He tried to pull in the Light but it didn't come. Kaladin's heart pounded fiercely. His vision narrowed. He felt like he couldn't get enough air, even breathing hard. The guards pulled him through the outer door, and Kaladin saw the open sky.Still close enough to the brazier, Kaladin tried again, desperately stretching out toward the spheres.

The Light came to him, all of it. He burst alight like a torch even in the full daylight. Even as the storm raged in him, some of his panic subsided.

A chorus of gasps sounded around him, from his guards as well as Dalinar and Elhokar, but Kaladin barely noticed. Escape filled his mind, pushing out any other thought or perception. 

Most of the guards let go of him as if burned.The couple that held on slackened their grips.Kaladin stepped on his chains and _yanked_ his hands free of the manacles, breaking both thumbs, but in moments Stormlight healed his hands.He Lashed himself upward, high enough to be out of range of any grasping hands. Where would he go now? He looked about at the crowd still gathered, mouths agape, shockspren and awespren bursting around them.

The men of Bridge Four had gathered outside in the commotion after the duel, protesting how he'd been dragged off. There was so much more he should have done for them. 

Kaladin turned and met Dalinar's eyes, and saw a tragic mixture of horror and wonder. The realization that he had a Radiant and was now losing him.

Still acting on a hunted animal's instinct, Kaladin shot off toward the Unclaimed Hills.He reached a rocky outcropping high above the Shattered Plains and lay down, still breathing hard.He tried to calm himself, to think, to plan, but it took a long time before his breathing slowed and his vision returned to normal.This felt far too familiar.He was so tired of being betrayed. _Storming lighteyes.They can all rot._ "I think the execution order frees me from my oath to protect the king," he said to Syl.

She looked at him, eyes full of sorrow."Oh, Kaladin."

Where was he going to go?He couldn't live up here in the mountains; there was a reason these were the _Unclaimed_ Hills.The slave brand was going to be a problem anywhere he went, just as it had been when he'd tried to escape while a slave.He needed his writ of freedom, especially since he didn't want anyone writing to Dalinar's scribes about him.

And more than that, what might the king do to his men if he couldn't be there?

He flew back to the barracks.He would make it before anyone from the palace could get that far, if they even thought to look for him there.He streaked above the warcamps in broad daylight.The view was amazing, but Kaladin couldn't appreciated it.He landed by the barracks and went inside.He thought they'd be empty, but Rock was there.He must not have gone to the duel.

"Captain?You are back early."

Kaladin shook his head, unsure where to begin."I... need to go.Something went wrong at the duel.The others can explain.I'm sorry I can't stay."He put a hand on Rock's shoulder."Take care of Bridge Four, and try to keep them from doing anything stupid on my behalf."

"How long will you be gone?"

Kaladin pulled his writ of freedom from the trunk by his bed, along with a few other belongings, some rations, and all his spheres.He'd need a lot of those if he was going to travel anywhere by Lashing."I don't think I'll be able to come back."

"What?!What is this thing that has gone so wrong?He must be very serious indeed."

Kaladin sighed, squeezing his eyes shut. "I demanded a duel with Amaram, announced to the whole arena crowd what he'd done to me - told them he's a thief and a murderer.Apparently the penalty for _slandering_ a Brightlord is death.Elhokar got mad and he was going to have me executed to prove a point.I really hope he doesn't take any of his anger at me out on you.If he does, well, at least you all know how to fight now."

Rock was speechless, for perhaps the first time Kaladin had seen since they were in the bridge crews."Should we not come with you now, then?"

Kaladin shook his head."I hadn't even told Bridge Four, but just last night, I figured out how to do the same kind of Lashings the Assassin in White uses.So I can get far away quickly, far enough that Elhokar's men can't chase me.You can't.Do your best to stay safe here, if at all possible.I don't think running is a great option.I wouldn't if I thought I had any choice."

Rock nodded."It has been an honor to know you, Captain Kaladin Stormblessed.My heart is heavy to see you go.I wish you the blessings of the Heralds in finding freedom and safety."

He put a hand on Rock's shoulder again."Thank you.It's been an honor to know you too, and all of Bridge Four.Give them my regards."He looked toward the door, though he heard nothing."I should go now."

He stepped out, Rock right behind him.Before he could think about it too much, he took off again, Lashing himself toward Alethkar.


	2. Return

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kaladin started heading toward his destination before he realized he'd picked a destination.

Kaladin made it well over a hundred miles before his Stormlight ran out.He still wasn't sure where he was going, besides away from the Shattered Plains.Wherever he was going, he would need more Stormlight, which meant exchanging spheres.Unless... Would it be possible to fly _during_ a highstorm?He had been out in one once and lived, even though he was tied up and had just been beaten.His healing from Stormlight worked better now as well.One way or another, he needed a list of projected highstorm dates.

He landed far enough outside a town to avoid being seen in the air, then walked in.Any spheres he spent were that many he didn't have to draw Stormlight from, but besides the highstorm dates, he'd need food when the rations he'd grabbed ran out.

Errands accomplished, he sat on a rock an hour's walk out of town and got out a piece of flatbread."Syl, what should I do?"

She stood in the air in front of him."How should I know?"

"You're supposed to give me direction, right?"

"Well, what direction do you want?"

"If I knew, I wouldn't be asking you, would I?"

He did know, though.There was one place he could go that he'd kept pushing out of his mind, but he wasn't coming up with anything better.In fact, he realized that was the direction he'd started heading without consciously choosing it.It didn't make sense to fly _into_ Alethkar, given that he'd likely be subject to arrest and execution if anybody recognized him, yet that was the direction he'd gone.

Home.

Could he face his parents?His slave brands felt all too prominent, writ or no.Could he miss the chance to see them, though, when he might not be able to come back this way?Much as it pained him to consider intentionally hiding things from his parents, he wouldn't have to tell them everything, especially if the other choices were to hurt them or to not see them at all.

He continued walking as the day grew late.It wasn't the Weeping, but the sky was gray and a light rain fell.He couldn't help feeling like it was raining on him personally.

It felt wrong to run away, but what choice did he have?If he stayed anywhere near the warcamps, he'd be caught, just as he always had on his attempts at escaping slavery.Was there any chance Dalinar could still talk Elhokar out of it, especially now that they'd seen he was a Surgebinder?He couldn't bring himself to count on that.He felt sick at the idea of trusting the lighteyes that far.Especially when his men might get involved and get in trouble too.

His men.He missed Bridge Four already.They might be better off without him, though.

He kept walking, sopping wet, boots sucking at his feet every step.

There were a half dozen highstorms before The Weeping.The next was in just a couple of days.He resolved to fly when he could, exchanging spheres as needed, and that he would try flying in the highstorm.Now that he'd decided where to go, he wanted to go as quickly as possible. He wasn't sure how he was going to navigate to Hearthstone, but if he could get close, he could figure it out.His sense of direction led him better than he'd hoped, and two storms later, he was in a field he'd played in as a child.

He watched in stillness from the cover of bushes and trees, waiting until after dark to enter town.He'd spent as little time in towns on the way as he could manage.It was probably paranoia, but he didn't feel like being around people anyway.Now that he was back, he certainly didn't want to draw attention to his parents' house.

He walked up to the front door.A light was still shining inside.What was he going to tell them? He'd been avoiding thinking about it the whole way here.His heart thumped and his stomach twisted.He stood in front of the door for a few long moments before he worked up the nerve to knock. 

The door opened, and he saw a deeply familiar face.A little older, but just the same."Hello, Father."

"Kaladin?Is it really you?Come inside!Hesina!"

His father pulled him in, shut the door, and pulled him into an embrace.


	3. Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reunion. Lots of feels. Fluff.

Kaladin still had his arms around his father when his mother rushed in from the kitchen, then threw her arms around him as well.

He had to get it out of the way."Mother, Father, I'm so sorry.I couldn't protect Tien.I failed him.It's my fault."

His father held him firmly by the shoulders."It's not your fault.You shouldn't have gone at all, but you're here now.Praise the Almighty, you're back with us!"

Kaladin sniffled, and Hesina pulled a towel from her apron and wiped his nose.He couldn't help but laugh at that.He stood a foot taller than her.Syl swirled around them as a ribbon of light, laughing in delight.

"My poor boy, you're soaking wet!Let's get you dried off and cleaned up..."She started to lead him toward the bath at the back of the house, then stopped."There's someone you've got to meet first, though."

_Someone?_ Kaladin followed his mother back toward his old room, where he saw...a crib.With a little boy sitting in it.

Hesina picked him up and carried him to Kaladin."Meet your brother, Oroden."

Kaladin looked on in wonder for several seconds before tentatively reaching out for the child.His mother handed him over. 

His callused hands seemed too rough to hold such soft skin, but he took the boy and held him tight. The weight of the last minutes, days, weeks, months, years came crashing down on him and tears streamed down his cheeks.Syl sat on his shoulder but said nothing.His mother wrapped her arms around both of them. Leaning his head against hers, he sobbed, his joy and pain finally getting some release.

When finally his sobs slowed, he looked up to see his father standing in the door. He didn't know how long he'd been watching, but tears streaked his face as well.

Reluctantly, Kaladin sat Oroden back in his crib, and let his mother shuffle him off toward the bath, where he cleaned off and put on his one remaining set of dry clothing.

Oroden wasn't in his crib when he walked back out, but with his mother in the sitting area by the kitchen.

"Here, sit," Hesina said, pushing him toward the couch, into a pile of blankets.She sat Oroden on his lap, then wrapped the blankets around both of them and went to the kitchen.A moment later, she returned with a steaming cup of soup, which she handed to Kaladin.

Oroden fell asleep against his brother almost immediately, and for a few minutes, Kaladin sat quietly, watching the boy sleep, sipping on hot soup that tasted like home. 

***

The evening had gone so much better than Kaladin had feared.They forgave him for Tien's death far more than he could forgive himself.And he had a brother - a baby brother, barely old enough to crawl.He was still in wonder at that.After getting dry, he held little Oroden late into the night, sitting on a couch with blankets wrapped around him, hardly able to take his eyes off the boy as he slept against Kaladin. Besides being overjoyed at the chance to spend time with his new brother, he was glad at the excuse to speak quietly or not at all as they tried to avoid waking the child. He didn't tell them much, besides that he'd wound up in the army at the Shattered Plains and then left.His parents definitely shot glances at his brands, but neither said anything.Mostly his mother had been happy to fuss over him, and he had been happy to let her.

And now, now he was sleeping in his old bed.He felt like a child again.For a little while he let himself forget everything going on and imagined that he was an innocent boy and had nothing more to worry about than anatomy lessons.


	4. Command Line

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kaladin hears some surprising news from the Shattered Plains

Kaladin woke early, more rested and peaceful than he'd felt in a long time.He sat in the kitchen, enjoying the quiet until his father came in.Lirin looked at him and stopped short.

"What?" Kaladin asked.

"Your brands.I saw them clearly last night.They're gone."

Kaladin reached up and felt his forehead.It was smooth as it hadn't been in over a year.

Stormlight.It had to be.He wasn't sure how - it had had plenty of chances to heal the brands before; why now?But what else could it be?But he couldn't tell his parents about that, not now.

"That's... very odd.At least I can go out now without drawing so much attention."

"I suppose you can."Lirin paused."So, how long will you be staying with us?"

"I'm not sure.I shouldn't stay too long, but I suppose a few days would be all right."

"Would you like to help out in the surgery while you're here?Have you been practicing while you've been away?"

Kaladin shook his head."Just field medicine.I haven't exactly had the opportunity to study."Quietly, he added, "I have used what you taught me to save lives, though."He had a sudden urge to make his parents proud, though he felt like right now, he was little they should or would be proud of.At least he could honestly say he'd used the surgery skills his father had taught him to save both soldiers and slaves.

Lirin smiled."I know you try hard to do the right thing, son."

Kaladin looked away, blinking back tears.

"Anyway," Lirin went on, "have you heard about the king abdicating?"

Kaladin's breath caught."Abdicating?Elhokar abdicated?"

His father gave him an odd look, and Kaladin realized he'd just referred to the king without any title.Lirin didn't address that, though."Yes indeed.His uncle, the Blackthorn, old King Gavilar's brother, rules now.Did you ever see them while you were out on the plains?"

_Storms._ "Yes, I did.Do you happen to know anything more about the circumstances?Like why King Elhokar abdicated?"

Lirin shook his head."You could ask Laral if you really want to know.She's the one who got word straight from the queen regent in Kholinar."

Elhokar's wife seemed unlikely to give an unbiased account of why her husband ceased being king, but Kaladin couldn't think where he might get better information.Had Sadeas decided to openly strike back after the attempt to box him into a duel?How would that have resulted in _Dalinar_ becoming king, though?

***

Dalinar watched Kaladin fly away, cold realization washing over him.The boy _was_ a Radiant.And Elhokar had just driven him away by trying to execute him.

"Get horses and follow that man!" Dalinar bellowed."Bring him back alive and unharmed."

A dozen men scrambled to obey. Elhokar just watched, wide eyed and with his mouth slightly agape, and did not contradict Dalinar's order.

Dalinar leaned down and spoke quietly."Nephew, may I speak privately with you?"

Elhokar looked at him, fear plain in his eyes, but nodded, and they walked back to the room they had just come from.

"Leave us," Dalinar ordered, and the guards walked out, closing the door behind them.

Dalinar strode up to Elhokar, who cowered before him.He grabbed the king's collar."Do you know what you've done?"

The king's jaw flexed."I've screwed things up again."His face hardened."And for the last time.I'm abdicating.And making you king."

Dalinar blinked at him several times."I cannot be king, nephew.I told you that."

Elhokar, to his credit, stood up taller."Uncle, you're going to have to get over whatever qualms you have about taking the throne.You nearly killed me and threatened to crush my chest to prove you didn't want to kill me.Well, I believe you don't want to kill me, but that incident proved another thing you didn't intend: you're the one in charge, whoever actually wears the crown.And you should be.I'm sick of this farce, and the solution isn't for you to step back.I've tried to be a good king, but I never have been, and I don't think I will be - at least not in time, if ever. _You_ are the king we need.I can make one last order that I'm sure is right, and it's to you: step up and do your duty to the kingdom, whether you like it or not."

Dalinar found nothing to say to that.


	5. Steganography

Kaladin didn't even get to the front door of the citylord's mansion before one of the guards yelled at him. "Hold on there.What do you want?" 

The guard eyed Kaladin, but apparently didn't recognize him.He'd taken off his distinctive captain's coat as soon as he'd left the Shattered Plains and hadn't put it back on since, leaving him in a long sleeved undershirt that had only gotten a cursory cleaning.He might have been recognizable as a soldier, but if so, a sloppy one.

"I'd like to speak to Laral."

The guard sneered."And why would she want to speak with you?"

"We know each other.And besides, is she so unwilling to speak to townsfolk?I can speak with my citylord, can't I?"

The guard sighed.He knew Kaladin was right."I'll send someone to her.What's your name?"

Was there any point trying to hide who he was?"Kaladin.Lirin's son."

The man nodded, sent the other guard in, and shortly later, Laral herself came down."Kaladin!So you are alive after all."

He tried to smile but didn't quite make it.There was so much he should say to her that he couldn't say any of it.He didn't deserve to say any of it to her.

He had come for a reason, though."I heard something about the king abdicating and I wanted to get the full story from you."

Laral sighed."Well, I probably didn't get the full story, since Queen Regent Aesudan was distressed, as you might imagine.Apparently she's still acting as queen regent, since the new king, Dalinar, has no one to act in his immediate stead for now, though that may change at any point."She waved him toward the door."Come in.There's no sense standing out here."

Kaladin followed her."So, what do you know?"

Laral shook her head as she lead them toward the kitchens."The official line is that he's acting in what he believes is the country's best interest, something about Dalinar, the Blackthorn, being the wartime leader that Alethkar needs."Laral waved at a servant and quietly requested a couple of hot drinks for them."Of course, I was curious; there had to be something more to something so big as that.So I asked around.Well, apparently the Assassin in White was seen flying away from the Shattered Plains the day before King Elhokar announced his resignation in favor of his uncle, but King Elhokar has been seen alive since then, miraculously, and that's confirmed by several people I talked with.Nobody really had any better information that would explain the change in power."

Had the assassin come right after he left? _I was supposed to be there to protect him_.He had a spike of guilt, and then anger at himself for feeling guilty.No, he did not abandon his duty to protect a man who had been intending to kill him. And besides, Elhokar was still alive.What could the assassin have done, threaten Elhokar into abdicating?That didn't make sense; that just wasn't what the assassin did.Could that sighting have been Kaladin, and people just assumed it was the assassin? But that still didn't explain why the king had abdicated _the next day_.None of this made sense.Elhokar had been a bad king, but he'd never seemed like he had any doubts about whether he _should_ be king. "There's always been a lot of court intrigue, right?The highprinces are always jockeying for power, aren't they?Does anyone else seem to be involved?"

Laral shrugged."I heard a rumor about King Dalinar suggesting, before he was king, that they stop the war on the Shattered Plains, plus some nonsense about him refounding the Knights Radiant and naming Highmarshal Amaram as its new head.Say, you were in Amaram's army; do you know anything about that?"

Kaladin suppressed his anger at the mention of Amaram's name."Nothing more than what you just said."

Their drinks arrived, some kind of steaming tea, and they sipped.Laral looked thoughtful."There was one more thing in the official announcement: King Dalinar is looking for a man, a _shash_ -branded slave, but I don't expect that has any relevance out here, since we're at least a month's travel from the Shattered Plains."

Kaladin felt a chill, and doubly glad his brands had disappeared."Why would the king be looking for one particular slave?Did he do something terrible?"

Laral shook her head. "There were no details about why, but the message was very explicit that the man, if found, was not to be harmed, so it sounds like it's not a hunt for a criminal."

Kaladin released a breath.It still didn't mean he'd be safe if they caught him, but it was an improvement. _Maybe I could stay in Hearthstone, at least a little while longer._ "Well, let me know if you hear anything else, news or rumors."


	6. Cut

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kaladin and Lirin perform an emergency surgery.
> 
> References to serious injuries but nothing too graphic.

Kaladin closed his eyes and leaned against a wall, enjoying the rumble against his back as the highstorm pounded on the outside.

It hadn't even reached the riddens when a fist hammered on the door."Surgeon, are you in?Please!"

Lirin unbarred the door and threw it open.A man stood there, drenched, clothing torn, bruised and bleeding from multiple lacerations.In his arms was a small girl in much worse condition, broken and bloody."Please, can you help her?"

"Bring her here," Lirin said, waving them toward the surgery.Kaladin rushed to follow, instinctively falling into his assistant tasks, washing his hands and getting out supplies.Hesina came as well, sensing this would need more hands.The man - Merek, that was his name; he was a farmer - sat the girl onto the table, causing her whimpers to rise to a cry.He didn't know the girl's name; she probably hadn't been born when last Kaladin had been here.She had a badly broken leg and arm, both compound fractures.

"Kaladin, get the dazewater!"He sprang into action as his father continued, "What happened?"

Merek was shaking."She still hadn't come back by the time the storm started.I went out looking for her as soon as the stormwall passed, but I only found her a little while ago.Please, will you be able to help her?"

Kaladin administered the dazewater to the girl, and her face relaxed from its mask of pain.

"I see.Please wait outside the surgery.You can stay in my kitchen at least until the storm passes.I'll do what I can."Lirin's hands moved, swift but precise, inspecting the girl and tying bandages on to slow the bleeding.

Hesina guided Merek out of the room and returned a moment later.

"Kaladin, assessment?"

Kaladin pushed on her ribs, which gave too easily.It wasn't a battle injury, but there were enough similarities this felt very familiar. "She may have fallen on this side of her body, or something heavy hit her, but either way, she's probably got internal trauma as well as the obvious breaks.Thankfully it doesn't seem to have hit her head, though we'll probably have to wait to know for sure.Clean the wounds, sew or cauterize to control bleeding, set the bones, wrap the rib cage.Setting the bones will go easier with two pairs of hands, but to get the bleeding under control faster, you take the leg, I'll take the arm?"

Lirin nodded and they cleaned and stitched in tandem, Hesina assisting them both.

Kaladin was just getting done with the most urgent parts when Lirin said, "I'm afraid this leg will probably need to be amputated after all."

Moving around the table, Kaladin inspected the breaks. "I've seen things like this from club and mace strikes.Let me try a few things."

A long half hour later, the leg was more or less reassembled, and Kaladin was putting in a few last stitches to hold it together.Lirin was nodding at him."You have picked up some tricks while you've been away."

Kaladin grimaced."Lots of injuries in battle, and often the surgeons are busy with lighteyes." _Or anyone who isn't a slave._ "And of course I watched the army surgeons when I could."

They moved on to the arm, and Lirin let Kaladin take the lead.It was odd to have his father treat him as more of a peer than an apprentice, and doubly odd to find he knew surgical techniques his father did not.Of course, four years in the army probably had exposed him to more mangled limbs than quiet Hearthstone saw in decades.

The three of them walked back into the kitchen to find Merek still pacing."How is she?"

"You'll have to keep her strictly in bed for at least a couple of weeks, but she should be able to keep all her limbs.I'll send you home with bandages and antiseptic, but if you see rotspren, bring her back right away." 

Merek's voice trembled."Thank you, surgeon."

Lirin smiled."You should thank my son Kaladin; without him, your daughter probably would have lost her leg."

Eyes shining, Merek walked up to Kaladin and put his shaking hands on Kaladin's shoulders."My daughter is everything to me.I can't thank you enough."

Throughout the surgery on the little girl, Kaladin had stayed calm and focused. That finally broke, and he smiled broadly, blinking back tears.


	7. make clean

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kaladin scrubs the surgery room and talks with Syl

Kaladin kneeled on the floor of his father's surgery room, scrubbing.He bumped into things as he worked.This room couldn't have gotten smaller, could it?

Syl alighted in front of him."What are you going to do?"

Kaladin continued scrubbing."I'm not sure.I'm supposed to protect those who cannot protect themselves, right?Maybe I could still be a surgeon.Surely healing people should count."

Syl tilted her head."I don't know."

Kaladin leaned back on his heels, looking at Syl."Could I use Stormlight to heal other people, the way I use it to heal myself?"

"I think it's possible, but not for you."

"Not for me?Then who?"

"I don't know that either."

Kaladin tossed his brush into the bucket of dirty water. "Well that's not much help."

"Windrunners are warriors, Kaladin."

"Can't I protect people by flying them to safety instead of killing what's threatening them?Can't I patch up wounds instead of inflicting them?"

"What do you think?"

He ground his teeth.Deny it as he might, he felt the pull of the spear.He couldn't imagine not holding it again, not now that he knew the feeling of fighting with Stormlight raging through his veins.And yet... "Where has it gotten me, Syl?All this killing?My brother dead, my men slaughtered, me branded a slave.I barely escaped being executed by a man I fought to protect - _again_.Tell me, Syl, why should I choose the spear over the scalpel?"

She wrapped her arms around her knees and looked very small."I don't know, Kaladin.I do know that you're torn up inside, and _you_ know something's not right."

Kaladin stood and took the bucket outside to get fresh water."Going back and getting executed can't be the right answer.And besides, now that Dalinar is king, Moash's friends have what they wanted anyway, so Elhokar isn't in danger."

"Yes, Dalinar is king--and he was the one defending you.He announced you weren't to be harmed.Do you really think you'd be executed?"

Kaladin pressed his lips together."I can't trust them, Syl.Not again.Last time, you promised it would be all right, and look what they almost did."

Syl didn't respond to him, and disappeared off into a gust of wind.


	8. Three Way Handshake

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 100% pure refined baby brother fluff.

Hesina sat at the dining table stitching up a rip in one of Kaladin's shirts.Kaladin was on the couch, Oroden in his lap, the brothers looking intently at each other, expressions serious.

"Kaladin," the older said with careful enunciation.

"Gagadah."

Hesina chuckled softly.It was hard not to get emotional over Kaladin being back, and seeing him with Oroden...well, it was a good thing she had something to look down at, so they wouldn't see her blinking so much.

"Ka. La. Din."

"Gah dih dahn."

Kaladin sighed.

"He talks well for his age," Hesina said."Just like you did."

Kaladin smiled, still looking closely at Oroden."I suppose he does.It just feels like he understands, and I swear I can see thoughts behind his eyes, so it seems like he should be able to talk.You have things to say, don't you, rockbud?"

"Angagagaga. Eh eh rerere. Aaaaaaa."

Kaladin cocked his head."Tell me more."

"Ongah ngah ngaaah."

"Fascinating."

Lirin came through the door. Oroden immediately turned to him, pumped his legs, and said "Dadadada!"

Kaladin sighed."Maybe my name is too hard for you. What about brother? Can you say brother?"

"Baba."

"Good enough."

Oroden started squirming, so Kaladin picked him up and set him on the floor.He held the little boy's hands, which weren't even large enough to enclose one of his big brother's fingers, as Oroden took one wobbly step, then another, then plopped back down on his behind.

"Good job!" Kaladin said, kissing his head.

"Baba!"

Hesina looked back at her stitching, blinking furiously.


	9. Bad signal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lirin hears more news from the Shattered Plains.

Lirin sat in the citylord's manor, setting a guard's broken ankle.As he was putting the final wrapping on the splints, Laral came down the stairs."Lirin, thank you for coming."

"Of course."Lirin turned back to his work.He gave the guard a set of crutches and showed him how to use them.

Laral watched as the guard walked away and spoke to Lirin without turning back toward him."You must be glad that Kaladin came back unharmed."

Lirin smiled."It is an unexpected blessing."

"So, he'll be joining you in the surgery, continuing as your apprentice?"

Lirin's smile fell."I'm not sure.The boy is still troubled, and I can't get much out of him about why."He shook his head.

"Well, when he was up here the other day, he was quite curious about the abdication and news from the Shattered Plains, and asked to tell him if I heard anything else.Well, we're going to have a new highprince - Torol Sadeas is dead.This also happened right before the king announced his abdication.Must have been quite the eventful few days."

"Storms.He didn't have an heir, did he?So who will be highprince now?"

"Word is, the top contender is Highmarshal Amaram, but also that there are some pretty serious allegations against him."

"What kind of allegations?"

She shook her head."Didn't hear."

"The announcement said there were serious allegations but not what they were?"

"Oh, that wasn't from an announcement.Half the news I get depends on whether I get a gossipy scribe when I check in with Kholinar." Laral sighed. "Oh, but apparently the accusations had something to do with that _shash_ -branded slave King Dalinar is looking for."

A chill ran through Lirin." _Shash_ -branded slave?"

"You probably didn't hear the part about the slave - I didn't mention it since I didn't think it mattered this far from the Plains, but apparently there were sightings of him heading this direction."

Lirin swallowed."Were there any more details about him?"

She shrugged."Nothing too specific.Alethi, tall, shoulder length wavy black hair.The king wants any news of sightings."

Shash brand.It had been night, and Kaladin's hair had grown long, but he hadn't imagined those brands.

***

Lirin found his Kaladin in the surgery, putting away an instrument he'd just cleaned and oiled."Son, you did have slave brands with a _shash_ on you when you arrived, didn't you?"

Kaladin hesitated, then nodded.

"And you don't now.Scars like that don't just disappear.What happened?"

Kaladin stared at the bench in front of him for a long time."I'm not sure I can really explain it."

"But you don't seem all that surprised."

Lirin gaped as Kaladin breathed in sharply and began to glow."I can use Stormlight to heal.I'm not sure why the brands never healed before and then did when I got here.Maybe something about being home." He met Lirin's eyes."Please don't tell anyone."

"Son, are you the one King Dalinar is looking for?"

Kaladin sighed and his glow dimmed."Yes."

Lirin spoke quietly."What are you running away from?"

"I've gotten betrayed by lighteyes too many times.I can't let it happen again."Kaladin looked up at him."Would you tell me I should go back and do more killing for them?"

"No, of course I wouldn't."


	10. Redirect

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Elhokar moves forward from his decision. Adolin gets to do something satisfying.

Dalinar felt like he'd been suckerpunched in the gut.

Elhokar straightened his jacket."I'll have my mother draw up the necessary documents.We should announce this as soon as possible." The king stalked toward the palace, but turned back as he reached the door."For what it's worth, if you find the bridgeman, tell him I'm sorry."

Dalinar stood dumbfounded.Too much had changed too quickly.It was all getting away from him.

Something pounded on the door."Father?What's going on?How is it bridgeboy can fly, and where did he go?"

Dalinar shook himself.He opened the door, waved Adolin in, and closed the door again, leaning on it for a long moment before speaking."Your cousin just abdicated and ordered I be the new king."

He watched a flurry of emotions play over Adolin's face, but mostly shock. "Why?Why on Roshar would Elhokar do that?"

Dalinar sighed."He ordered Kaladin executed on the charge of slandering a highlord."

"He was going to have Kaladin executed!?Storms, if my cousin hadn't done just something as extreme as abdicating, I'd be way too tempted to go punch his lights out."Adolin huffed."No wonder bridgeboy left in a hurry.Speaking of which... _he can literally fly._ You saw that, right?The flying?" Adolin gestured vigorously upward."He's one of them, isn't he?A real Radiant?"

"Yes."

***

Elhokar walked up the steps, surprisingly calm.Part of his mind screamed, _What did I just do?_ But he didn't have any doubts, not really, and that was the odd thing: he always had doubts.About everything.He always hesitated, hated making decisions, and always questioned the decisions afterward.But this, as soon as it occurred to him, he knew it was the right answer.In the way of half formed thoughts, he didn't realize it until something forced him, but once he did, it felt like an old decision, like something he'd already thought about for a long time.He didn't need to mull it over, and now that he'd declared it out loud, even just to Dalinar, it felt settled.He was no longer weighed down by worrying about everything all the time.He could focus on simpler, more straightforward things.

He found one of his guards waiting at the next door - one of the few survivors from the old Cobalt Guard."Gather some of your men and find Sadeas.Get him quickly, before he has a chance to leave the vicinity of the arena. We must see that my cousin gets his boon."

"Yes, Your Majesty."The guard made a quick bow and set off at a jog.

Elhokar went into an empty room off the hall, shut the door, and leaned against it. He should go find his mother, should check on Adolin and see that he was ready to duel again. He would. He just wanted a moment alone somewhere quiet.

He spoke, quietly, though there was no one else in the room. "I am not my father. I can't be, and I should stop trying. I can be myself, though."

He felt oddly energized by that, like he was lighter, and the room seemed brighter.Standing tall, he strode back out toward the arena.Time to find Sadeas.He could do that.

***

Two hours later, Adolin knelt on the cracked breastplate of Torol Sadeas.The older man was pinned on the arena sand in his drained Plate, unable to move.Adolin brought his face down close, close enough to see terror through the helm's eye slit, and spoke very quietly."This is for betraying us at the Tower."He let his Blade puff to mist, pulled out his dagger, and rammed it into Sadeas' eye.The crowd gasped, but Sadeas' strangled cry rang out clear through his armor.He gurgled, then fell still.

Adolin's brief guilt at so directly killing a highprince quickly gave way to a giddy level of glee, which brought its own guilt.

Conversation and shouts erupted around the arena, but that was drowned out by the cheers of victory.The audience went wild, many of the darkeyes standing and whooping.There would be consequences and complications, but for now, this was a stroke in their favor.

And Adolin had a fourth set of Shards for the day. _One of these should go to bridgeboy. He leapt in here with nothing but a spear and probably saved my life, and I didn't even get a chance to properly thank him._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Should I write out the full fight between Sadeas and Adolin? I was gonna leave it like this to keep the story focused on Kaladin, but it might be satisfying to see Sadeas' terror build as he realizes there's no way out. What do you think?
> 
> EDIT: Okay, I'll probably write the fight at some point. For now I want to make progress on the story.


	11. free

Kaladin still felt the pull of the skies.

He stood on a small rise near his home, wind whipping his hair against his face, and he couldn't stand it.He had to fly again. 

For days now, he'd been mostly staying in because he was afraid of getting recognized, but that didn't make sense since his brands had vanished, especially so far from the Plains.He could go out.

The next day, he finished cleaning early, then asked his parents, "Do you need me for anything today?"

They shook their heads.His father said, "Not specifically.Why?"

"I got used to walking and running a lot in the army.I need a good long walk."He could read the worry in his mother's eyes and smiled."Don't worry. I'll be back by dinner time."

By the standards he'd grown up with, the pouch of spheres he'd brought back from his officer's pay was a fortune.He hadn't told his parents, but they were doing all right now.Of course, he'd share his parents if they needed anything, but for now, he kept the spheres for the Stormlight.

He walked far out of town, away from the fields and deep into the forests, before taking to the air.He fell upward, breaking out of the trees and into the open air, already attracting a couple of windspren. Syl danced with them, looking as happy to be out here as he was. 

Storms, it felt good to be up here again.

He flew high before looping back above Hearthstone. He knew his town well, but things always looked different from above. He Lashed himself south, and, minutes later, he was above Stringken. This high, the network of towns and roads spread out below him, laid out over rolling hills, the land between covered with fields or forests or grassy plains. When he'd been above the Shattered Plains, he'd seen their distinctive pattern in a way that was never possible from the ground. There was more to that pattern, and as far as he knew, he was the only person who'd seen it, aside from maybe the Assassin in White.

How had Bridge Four fared? Was there any way he could get them a message without anyone else in the warcamps knowing?Storms, he should have found them a scribe. Could he send them a message saying it was from someone else, but put something in there that only they would recognize, so they'd know it was him? He could say the message was from one of Lopen's cousins. Lopen had a seemingly infinite supply of cousins.

What if he'd left them to be punished in his stead?

Storms. He'd kept Bridge Four alive through waves of Parshendi arrows and the abuses of everyone above them, from Gaz to Sadeas. How had he left them so abruptly? Surely he could have hid near the warcamps, snuck back in....

_Now I'm being a fool_. There would have been no sneaking back into the warcamps, just like there had never been any chance of sneaking out when he'd been a slave.

Dalinar was king. He'd said Kaladin wasn't to be harmed. Would he be safe going back? But for how long, until something went wrong again? 

Would they even be better off with him there?

"You're getting gloomy again." Syl stood in front of him in the form of a young woman in a flowing dress, hands clasped in front of her. "I thought being up here would make you happy."

Kaladin sighed. "Being up here is wonderful. But it reminds me of the warcamps and Bridge Four."

**Author's Note:**

> This went from being a quick, throwaway what-if to a big grab bag of stuff I found satisfying. Baby brother time? Check. Adolin gets to kill Sadeas in a duel? Check. Dalinar becomes king? Check. Elhokar becomes a Radiant? Check. Kaladin decides he's done with this crem and won't play along with being treated so badly? Check. Dalinar has to acknowledge what Kaladin has been through and beg? It's coming.
> 
> Real talk: I'm a comment whore. Sometimes I have a story that's playing in my head and I just have to write it down, but when that's not the case, I tend to work on whatever people seem to be enjoying. So, if you're enjoying something I write, let me know :)


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